The Girl in The Green is taken from an album cover that was done for the local band The Green. Depicted in the cover, along with other things, is a female figure with tattoos down her back. This series of triangles are common in traditional Hawaiian tattoos and are meant to symbolize the teeth of one’s aumakua, or guardian spirit--in some cases a shark--or even the teeth of one’s ancestors. In the case of The Girl in the Green, the triangles are made of the floating capstone over the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill, with the All Seeing Eye. Like the one on the dollar bill the eye hints at other powers watching and helping us along with the “building” of our society. Unlike the dollar (where our society is symbolized by a pyramid) here it is represented by a girl who gazes upwards into a strong light. The contrast between traditional tattoos and the modern American dollar brings to the viewer’s attention the changes that Hawaii and native Hawaii culture have seen, and the effects of modernization. The piece is reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, which has a profound sense of light. In this case the girl wears much more modern hoop earrings that contrast greatly with the dramatic lighting. Added to the painted light is the slight curve of the canvas, which is meant to curve the surface of the painting upwards and catch even more light on the corner to which the figure stares.